Infinitum
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: One step into the past is just like one step into the future...or so she had believed, until she started having the dreams.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Of course, the marvelous characters and some places featured in this story belong to the fantastic Hiro Mashima, with a few personal twists on them. I do NOT claim ownership over anything that may belong to him.**

**This is a little tidbit that started playing with my mind and so I decided I would write it. It might be a while before it is completed, but it's a start at least.**

**So, allow me to introduce my newest work:**

_**Infinitum**_

* * *

"_Loke!" the pink-haired woman whined, "Loke, wait up!"_

"_Come on, Arielle!" the orange-haired man called for her, laughing. "We'll miss the wagon!"_

_The woman stumbled slightly, panting as she tried to keep up with the energetic young man. At the same time, she couldn't help laughing softly because she _knew_ there was no way she'd catch up to him like this. He was always a fast runner, really fleet-footed and agile, and though he acted like he didn't care about leaving her behind, she knew he wouldn't go too far ahead without her. He had a really kind heart. It was probably why he had light-type magic, and although they didn't know exactly what he could do with it since wizards were feared in their hometown, she thought it might be strong._

_Besides that…today was the day they were leaving this town for the one place they might fit in better, and nothing was more exciting than that._

"_Last call for passengers to Crocus!" a voice rang out from just beyond the trees ahead, where a light was shining. The wagon was ready to leave._

"_Wait for us! We're almost there!" Loke shouted at the top of his voice as he burst from the woods into the light, ten feet in front of Arielle. He took a few ragged breaths, then turned to beam at the breathless girl behind him. Her heart fluttered at the wide grin that only the purest form of joy could ever bring to his face, and she couldn't help but smile back at him, stumbling from the trees._

"_Two of you? That's twenty jewels," the driver's assistant drawled, holding out his grubby hand expectantly. Loke grinned in his usually beastlike manner and fished out the coins from a tattered pouch on his belt, gesturing for the pink-haired girl to come over. He passed over the money and the man, almost grudgingly, grumbled, "Alright, then, get on."_

_Loke beamed at Arielle excitedly and gave her a boost onto the wagon before leaping into it himself. His grin seemed perpetual today, and she couldn't blame him. She was just as excited._

_There were nine other people on the wagon, and only one from their village. It was an elderly woman who just smiled at them softly before returning to her knitting. She had never shunned them for his magic, and she didn't seem likely to tell the other passengers about it either, for which the pinkette was exceedingly grateful. The other eight just acknowledged their presence and went on doing whatever they had been doing, whether it was observing the scenery, talking quietly to their companions, or little hobbies like the village Granny's knitting. Most of the people on here were dressed almost as poorly as they were, and another thing that the girl noticed was that all the hay bales for sitting on were taken. When she pointed it out softly to her companion, Loke just laughed and slid down to the floor of the wagon._

"_Don't worry too much, Ari!" he teased. "We'll be there in no time at all! We can handle sitting on the floor for that long, can't we?"_

_He left out the, _we've been sleeping on floors our whole lives, anyway_ that she felt was on the tip of his tongue. He didn't like to remind her of that, because he had always tried to get better for her, providing her with their best blankets unless he was sick and almost always refusing to sleep on their worn out straw mattress. _

_She couldn't find a good response to his optimism and his unspoken words, so she just nodded shyly with a soft, "I'm sorry."_

"_Don't be sorry," he grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "We're going to be in Crocus by tomorrow night!"_

_Crocus…going to Crocus was perhaps the best choice they could make. Because of his power, many of the locals were afraid of him, so the capital was, perhaps, the one place where they wouldn't be afraid of his magic. The one place where they could be accepted for who they were, especially Loke, magic and all!_

* * *

Aries let out a soft groan as she woke from her dream.

"What…was that?" she asked herself softly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had never known Loke to dress like the man who looked like him in her dream, and the girl who looked like _her_ had a completely different name. Aries didn't know what to make of it, other than to try to pass it off as a dream from her lovesick heart.

It was true that she cared for Leo the Lion as more than a friend aught, but she hadn't expected it to seep into her dreams. And for it to be a dream of that nature…it had been hundreds of years since the days when magic was feared throughout the land. Why on earth should she have a dream of a time she could scarcely remember? And one in which she and Loke were worried about how the rest of the citizenry should have to worry about people fearing _his_ magic, when they wouldn't have been seen if their master hadn't called them out…it was just strange.

"Something wrong, Aries?" came a voice from just a little ways away, and the Ram gasped and looked up at the Lyre quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Lyra!" the pink-haired woman apologized softly. "I'm sorry for waking you. I just had a strange dream."

The Lyre smiled at her kindly, "It happens, Aries. Don't worry about it. Did you want to talk about it?"

The Ram ran a tentative hand through her messy pink locks, lips turned down in concentration. Did she want to talk about that dream? As much as she hated to admit it, she felt like her feelings for Leo were just an open book that almost everyone but the Lion himself could read. So her hesitance didn't stem from the fear of what Lyra would think about her feelings for their fellow celestial spirit, but from her own shyness. She still had never admitted her feelings out loud, in all the years they'd been in each other's company.

And now she'd had this strange dream from a time long past, where people still feared magic. She had no indication of who the holder of her key had been, nor even any clue that she herself had magic powers. No…her dream counterpart, this _Arielle_, had been concerned for Leo's counterpart, who coincidentally went by _Loke_, a name that their master, Lucy, had met him under and which most of Fairy Tail and the current wizarding world still called him.

Even in her dreams she loved him from afar.

"Aries?"

"I'm sorry!" at the sound of Lyra's voice, the timid spirit quickly apologized, her fluffy curls bouncing when she turned to face the harpist. "I-I'm not sure if I want to talk about it yet or not. It's so strange, I can barely wrap my head around it…"

She received a gentle smile from the musician. "Shall I play a song to ease your nerves?" was the cheerful suggestion she then received.

Aries couldn't help but smile back at her friend. Lyra always knew how to calm a frantic heart—it was her talent, after all, to know what's in the heart of her audience and to play a song that either matched it to increase the emotion or countered it to put their fears at rest.

"Please do," the pinkette nodded, settling herself more comfortably on her bed for the song as Lyra readied her harp. The Ram took a moment to admire, not for the first time, the various harps and lyres that the musician had collected over the years. Her gate was indeed the Lyre, but she knew many other stringed instruments. In fact, a mandolin peeked out from the top shelf of her bookcase and a violin was displayed proudly among her array of harps on the wall.

And then her friend started to strum, and Aries was lost in the melody.

Her tired brain couldn't help but go back through her dream, but her thoughts were sluggish as she tried to process them, and eventually her eyes drooped closed again. Aries fought with the sleep that threatened to take her, wanting to stay awake and respect her friend's amazing musical talent, but it was too difficult. She realized that calming her enough for her to go back to sleep was probably Lyra's intent, and part of her was thankful. The other part of her was silently repeating a mantra of apologies in her head for falling asleep during a performance.

_They _do_ tell you to sleep on your problems_, a tired thought drifted across her mind just before the Ram returned to her slumber.

* * *

When Aries woke up next, the light was streaming in through her window and she felt well-rested. She stretched her arms wide as she sat up, glancing over to where Lyra was still fast asleep, a lyre cradled to her chest. The pink-haired woman knew that lyre had been with Lyra the longest, so she was more attached to it than any of her other instruments. Briefly, she wondered how long the Lyre had played after she herself had drifted back into dreamland. Upset at the thought, she murmured silent apologies in her head for causing a disturbance to the sweet, childlike harpist in the night.

Slowly, to prevent her fluffy bed from creaking overmuch, Aries slid her legs out from under her covers and over the side of the bed. She pushed herself gently but quickly to her feet and made her way to the bathroom for a morning shower. Her steps slowed slightly when a thought wormed its way into her head and made her recall the reasons she'd woken in the night.

_The dream_.

Sleeping on it had cleared her thoughts, but only by a little. She could now list the major factors that made the dream so strange to her: the time period, the names, the lack of a master, her constant closeness with Leo, and the fact that she had no recollection of her own magic.

The time period was easily four hundred years ago, or more, when people were still afraid of magic in rural areas but slowly becoming accustomed to it in busier parts of the world. It was probably before the great wizard Zeref had wreaked so much havoc with his powerful dark magic, as that had caused another period of non-wizards fearing wizards. Aside from that, she had little knowledge of the time period because she couldn't recall being called upon back then.

Their names were perhaps a little more simple, though still unnerving. Leo went by Loke in her dream, and whereas she had always called him Leo, there were many who called him Loke. Everyone but the spirits, it seemed, knew him as Loke, of Fairy Tail, and the spirits knew him as Leo, leader of the Zodiac. As for Arielle and Ari, she could only assume her subconscious had assigned that name and nickname to her because they were similar to Aries. In fact, she had been called Ari a handful of times in the past, though it always took her by surprise.

Aries could think of no conceivable reason for her _not_ to have a master, even if many people were afraid of magic, but for her dream to have no mention of a master, or even the lurking suspicion of being watched, made her uneasy. She didn't wish to be free from her master—Lucy Heartfilia was the kindest, bravest, and most powerful celestial wizard she had ever met, and Aries loved her dearly—so not having a master in her dream was like a slap in the face.

Without a second thought, Aries wrote off her closeness with the Lion as her mind projecting her feelings. It couldn't be anything _but_ that.

Perhaps what worried her the most was that her dream didn't have any indication that she, herself, had any magic power at all. Deep inside, she hoped and prayed that this wasn't some sort of premonition as far as her magic went. If she could be so close to Leo, she would be fine…but to be without her magic was a scary thought indeed. Her magic and her friends were all she had ever known.

When the Ram finally realized what she was doing, she was already stepping out of her shower and drying her hair. Somehow, even with her analysis of the elements of her dream, she had still gone through all the motions of her normal morning routine. All she had left was to dress, eat, brush her hair and teeth, and decide what to do for the day. She had a sneaking suspicion that her day's entertainment may have already been decided, though, because puzzling over her odd dream seemed infinitely more interesting than many of the pursuits she engaged in every so often.

"M-mornin', Aries," Lyra yawned widely, stretching, as the pinkette stepped back into the room clad shyly in just her towel. Since it was just the two of them, she felt comfortable enough leaving the bathroom in a towel, but sometimes the embarrassment still hit her if Lyra had been asleep when she first went into the shower but awake when she came out. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm so sorry for falling asleep in the middle of your playing!"

When she bowed her head slightly in her apology, her damp pink locks bounced around her face.

"Don't worry about it!" the Lyre waved her worry off good-naturedly. "I meant for you to fall back asleep, anyway. It was way too early to be up, and you looked a little frazzled."

"Thank you," the Ram said again, looking down at her toes. It was hard to bite back the apology that bubbled up in her chest, but she did.

"No problem!"

Soon after, Lyra disappeared into the bathroom and the shower started up again. Aries chose her clothes for the day and proceeded to start breakfast for she and her roommate, a thoughtful expression stuck on her features.

Even if the idea behind the dream—her hidden feelings for Leo—was rather simple, the dream itself was complex, and she couldn't stop wondering if there was meaning to it.

After her pancake batter was mixed, it struck her that she was actually remembering every detail about the dream. Normally, she'd forget her dreams nearly as soon as her feet touched the ground, on the rare occasion that she had a dream at all. This time, however, everything stuck out like a sore thumb. Even the color of Leo's ratty tunic—a sandy brown stained over time in several spots to dark amber—was visible in her mind's eye.

It was all very strange, but she couldn't keep mulling it over _all_ day. It was likely to be her biggest source of entertainment, but if she didn't make some attempt to socialize with _someone_ today, Leo would tease her about being antisocial again. After that, she would undoubtedly apologize and obscene number of times but never be able to just say she didn't speak to many people, all because she was an extremely shy and timid creature. And today of all days it would be hard to endure his good-natured teasing because of the strange, almost _real_, dream she'd had.

Aries sighed softly to herself as the shower clicked off in the other room. The first pancakes were done and on a platter to the side as she put the next two on to fry.

"That smells delicious!" Lyra's cheerful tones snapped the pinkette back into the present, and she turned her torso to look at the Lyre, spatula in hand.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," Aries smiled at her roommate, "I'm sorry it wasn't ready when you got out of the shower!"

"It's okay," Lyra giggled. "Nothing so simple as that could ever upset me!"

Lyra's cheerfulness and the timidity of Aries had always gone well together…much better than the period of time that the Ram had shared an apartment with the Water Bearer. Aquarius was just…scary. And for someone with water powers, that woman had the strongest aversion of anyone to doing the dishes. And then there was Libra, who was almost obsessed with perfect symmetry—something about her being the Scales, so she had to have balance—and the two of them rooming together hadn't lasted very long at all when Libra had realized all of Aries' magic was fluffy and random fluffiness at that.

"Sorry," she murmured, for lack of anything else to say. Lyra, knowing her roommate well, just giggled away her concern. Aries didn't take it the wrong way in the least, because there was no way the gentle Lyre would ever laugh at her expense.

After a few more minutes of cooking pancakes while Lyra hummed a soothing song and set the table, Aries could announce, "The pancakes are done!"

"Yay!" Lyra practically chirped, waltzing around their small kitchen space. The teapot she had put on started to whistle, and while the giddy spirit put the tea tray on the table, lid off of the teapot awaiting the water, the Ram carefully removed the kettle from the flames with a potholder. She carried it to the table and when Lyra pranced happily away to allow her more room to pour she did so, putting the lid on to let it steep. As soon as that was done, the two sat down to their first meal of the day with little more chatter.

And as soon as she had a few quiet moments, chewing her bite of food absently, her mind wandered back to the image of Leo in his ragged tunic and trousers. He had never looked so shabby…but from all of her memories, she didn't think he had ever seemed more happy.

It had to just be the strangeness of her dreams affecting her memories of Leo, but the bright smiles he had directed at her dream's version of herself could find no parallel in her memory. Just the thought…she didn't think she'd felt this strange tingle in her limbs ever before. It was like a burning sensation but it also made her giddy, and she wasn't sure exactly what it meant. Was it her infatuation leaking through to the surface? She thought she had more self-control than that.

"The market is in the square today!"

The Lyre's cheerful remark once more cut through to Aries, and her pink, fluffy locks bounced as she lifted her gaze to meet her roommate's cheerful smile.

"S-sorry! I'd forgotten about it. Is there anything you particularly want me to pick up today?" the pinkette asked softly, realizing that Lyra was starting to pour the tea, humming while she did so.

"Just the usual!" she grinned. "Our favorite—strawberries!"

Aries smiled shyly, nodding vigorously. "Of course! I would never forget that. Besides, sorry, but isn't there a party tomorrow that we promised to bring a cake to?"

"Mhm!" Lyra bobbed her head cheerfully. "A party Scorpio cooked up to celebrate two hundred years of being with Aquarius! I've been so excited that I've written twenty-three new songs since he told us about it last month! It's such a cute idea, and I can feel his excitement and his love for her from wherever I am! It's touching, don't you think?"

"Wow," Aries had to take a moment to be shocked, "sorry, but you've written _twenty-three_ new songs? You're amazing, Lyra."

"Thank you," her perpetual blush widened, "but you didn't answer the question I asked! Don't you think it's just so touching that two people can love each other so much that they've stayed together for over two _hundred_ years? And that he still cares enough to try to surprise her with little things like parties and gifts? Scorpio is just too cute!"

"D-don't let him hear you call him _cute_," Aries giggled slightly, finding a few seconds to be appalled at her unusual forwardness—but she was with Lyra, so it wouldn't do any harm to be a little more outgoing than usual. Her features softened and she turned back to her food when she finally offered the cheerful young spirit the answer she'd been waiting for. "Sorry. I _do_ think it's touching. I-it's something I always wonder about, and something I'd like to find if it's possible for me."

The Ram looked at her usually cheerful roommate when the gentle clank of a fork being placed on the edge of her plate was heard. Lyra wore an uncharacteristically serious face as she contemplated the wool mage. After a few seconds, which seemed longer than any single minute ever had, she finally said in her soft-spoken, genuine tone, "Of course it's possible for you. Love is possible for _anyone_."

The fiery orange mane of the Lion flashed through the pinkette's mind, and she couldn't check the blush that seeped into her cheeks.

"I think the only person who doesn't see it is him," the musician's voice was soft, but the news, while not wholly unexpected, still shocked the wool user. The heat burned more fiercely in her cheeks and she looked down at her hands.

"S-sorry," the shy spirit murmured, although she wasn't quite sure why she was apologizing. Maybe this time her apology was because it might be uncomfortable for the others to see her so much in love, when he didn't return the sentiment?

She peeked back up to see that the smile she received from her roommate was a much more serious smile than she usually saw before shyly turning her eyes back down. "Being in love with someone isn't something to be sorry for, Aries. It's something to rejoice over, to revel in, even if it's not returned right now. It's a beautiful thing, and even more so if it works out in the end. So don't apologize…but most of all, don't you _ever_ give up."

Lyra had never had such fierceness in her sweet tone, and Aries looked up at her to meet her stern, unwavering gaze. She would never have expected the piercing look she was receiving from her normally cheerful friend.

"I—I'm sorry I—"

"Not 'sorry'," the Lyre cut her off, leaning across the table, where their food had been all but forgotten. "You mean to say that you _won't_. You won't give up."

The Ram spent several moments stuttering incoherently and finding no alternative to saying just what the musician wanted to hear. Her watchful eyes didn't leave the pinkette's face and in turn, the stuttering got worse.

"I-I w-won't!" she finally burst, standing up so quickly that her chair fell over with a crash. "I won't g-give up!"

"That's the spirit!"

The cheerful smile was back, and Lyra returned her attention to breakfast, taking a sip of her tea first. Aries looked at her, astonished that she could change gears so easily when she herself still felt the blood pumping through her veins. She couldn't remember a time when the sweet, musical girl had gotten to her so badly. For the time being, the spirit decided her nerves were completely shot, and she rolled her shoulders slightly.

"I-I'm sorry about that!" she picked up her chair. "I'll clean up later, but I-I'm getting a head start on the market today!"

And without even pausing to hear if Lyra had anything else to say, the embarrassed and shy Aries rushed out of their home, almost forgetting her coin purse on the way. Her pink curls were bouncing furiously as she all-but ran away from the confrontation she had just experienced. She wasn't one for confrontation, and she fled from it whenever she could.

But this…it wasn't really a confrontation of the negative kind. It just put her on edge…it _scared_ her.

Aries didn't know what to do when her heart was so plainly visible on her sleeve.

If everyone could see it, how long would it be before Leo finally realized her feelings, too? And what would happen when he did? He was such a womanizer…would he just ignore them and pretend he hadn't noticed them, or would he play with her for a while, or would he address it bluntly and tell her that it wouldn't work? She didn't see him as the type to play with a girl who was sincerely attached, though. The pinkette had that much faith in him.

Strangely enough, she felt almost like she'd been in this situation before, but she couldn't imagine when. Her feelings for Leo had always been just a little more than friendly, but she didn't think—no, she had hoped, in vain—that they were more subtle. The current situation shouldn't particularly stand out, then, since it hadn't changed any for as long as she could remember. In other words, she mused as she continued distractedly down the street, it had _always_ been like it was now, and she shouldn't be so out-of-sorts by it all.

No…it wasn't by all that Lyra had said, or the worries about her feelings for Leo that were ingrained in her character after, well, _centuries_ of admiring him from afar…it was because of her _dream_.

Her steady pace faltered, and the Ram wondered how she had managed to _forget_ about that dream in the midst of everything. Of course, the knowledge that her feelings were more obvious than she'd dared to acknowledge was kind of startling, and the Lyre's seriousness in addressing the feelings that she'd been hiding for all that time had been sobering, but was that enough to make her forget? The dream itself had been another shocking event for her, but her feelings had permeated it so thoroughly that maybe she had just lumped it together as part of what Lyra had been saying?

"It doesn't make sense…" she mumbled aloud, pausing and looking back down the street towards their apartment. She remembered waking up in her bed, confused about the dream, and now she felt that same sense of confusion.

Aries sighed in frustration and forced herself to keep walking toward the market. She pulled out her coin purse and opened it to peek in. She frowned a little.

"I'm running low on Spirit Jewels," she pursed her lips, which looked more like a pout, "I should have asked Lyra to borrow some…"

"What, low on cash, Ari?" an arm fell around her shoulders and she squeaked at the name, spinning to look at the perpetrator more quickly than she had ever done before. Seeing the familiar orange locks and sunglasses put her in a daze. He had used the name that he'd used in her _dream_, and she'd only ever heard it from anyone a handful of times in the last several _years_.

"L-L-Leo! Don't surprise me like that!" she exclaimed, and then she gasped, covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry for shouting!"

The Lion just chuckled and ruffled her hair, almost like an older brother. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, and she did her best to hide the—what, _disappointment?_—as she turned her flushed face away from him.

"Sorry, sorry," he brushed her apology off with his own. "Here, take this and buy something special for yourself and Lyra this week."

Without even waiting for a response, at least ten coins fell into her still open coin purse. With a smile and catlike agility, he was gone, leaping onto a roof and running along it before hopping off to the ground on the other side. She let her open mouth close and sighed dejectedly, her cheeks burning and her heart racing. "I'm sorry for taking your money, Loke."

She spun back around and, after a chime from the town's clock, started to rush towards the marketplace. Aries had to put her fluttering heart and that strange dream out of her mind, because Lyra was counting on her…and if she didn't get there soon, all the best strawberries would be gone!

The Ram didn't even realize that his other name had slipped past her lips.

* * *

**So…what do you think of the beginning of **_**Infinitum**_**? I've tried to make it nice and long just in case my updates are delayed, but I'm afraid much of it is establishing the character of Aries and a little of the way she thinks. **

**And while I did start this, please note that I have several other stories in the works, and as this is my latest it is likely to be my last priority. I will not abandon it, but updates may be slow. Please bear with me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**How's everyone doing? I've been trying to settle into my summer and it's slow going, but without further ado, allow me to present**

_**Infinitum**_

_**Ch. 2**_

* * *

The market was already stirring to life when Aries reached Market Square, but she made her way determinedly to the fruit stall she liked the best. The marketplace was honestly the place where Aries was boldest, because she and Lyra got better fruits and vegetables when they were all business there. So, although she uttered apologies beyond count, the Ram pushed her way through the congested areas—near the peach and fish vendors, respectively—and she reached her favorite fruit vendor before many others had the chance to interfere.

Her basket, after almost an hour, was heaping with fruits, vegetables, and some of the freshest meat she could find wrapped in butcher's paper. She also had a bag of fresh flour, a dozen eggs cushioned by her lettuce, and a new bar of homemade soap for the bathroom. After she was done and satisfied with her purchases, she made one more round of the market, adding some salt to her basket, and turned to head back to the apartment she shared with Lyra. Her coinpurse was much lighter than it had been, but thanks to Leo's donation, she still had four coins and plenty of food for the week.

_Leo_. The source of all her unrest this morning…though it wasn't exactly his fault that she'd had a strange dream that involved him. And when she had least expected him, he had dropped out of nowhere, casually talked to her, forced her to accept his money—because she knew he'd never take it back once it was in her purse, from past experience—and then disappeared almost as quickly as he'd come.

Just thinking about it made her cheeks warm up. Especially now that she'd been forced to accept that her feelings weren't as hidden as she'd always hoped.

Her mind kept playing over her brief encounter with him, because meeting him was always sure to be a highlight of her day, as she made her way back towards her abode. It was then, however, she remembered how she'd rudely left Lyra. She hadn't even waited to see if her friend had had anything left to say before rushing off—all because she was scared of how her emotions were controlling her.

"I'm sorry, Lyra!" Aries murmured regretfully under her breath, quickening her pace. She had to store the items she had bought, and triple check that their apartment had all the ingredients for the cake they'd be taking to Scorpio's party tomorrow, and on top of all of that was the nagging urge to apologize profusely in person that stubbornly persisted.

She passed various friends that were also heading to the market, and managed to answer questions about the stalls that were there, apologize, and greet them all without pausing in her stride. This didn't faze the ever-aloof Libra in the least, and briefly, for the second time that day, Aries was glad that Libra was no longer her roommate. When Libra went to the market, she came back with virtually nothing because she had to pick nearly symmetric fruits and vegetables. She was a vegetarian, so the meat didn't matter as much since _she_ wasn't going to be the one eating it. It was rare that she had even remembered the meat, once she had already spent a few hours finding perfect fruit and flawless vegetables.

And before she knew it, the pink-haired spirit was running up the stairs to the apartment she shared with the cheerful Lyre, her mostly free hand gently holding her purchases in place. She didn't want to jostle the eggs too much, after all. Once at the door, she tried the knob and sighed in relief when she found it was still open.

"Lyra, I'm back! I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, and for taking so long…"

"Nonsense!" the cheerful voice came from inside, and Aries heard the gentle sound of a harp. The other girl must have been composing, then. "Welcome back! How was the market?"

"Already busy," Aries offered, sliding in and closing the door. Sure enough, she spotted Lyra in their living area with a harp, strumming slowly and thoughtfully. "But I got extra strawberries before too many people came over to Emi's stand, so we should be good to go."

The pink-haired girl started to organize her purchases on the clean island countertop before storing them, but noticed as she glanced across to the table that it was clean and tidy. Another look to the sink showed that there were no dishes, and she felt guilt riding up.

"I'm sorry!" she burst, a frown tucking the corners of her lips down slightly, "I said I would clean up! I must have taken too long!"

"No, no, it's fine!" Lyra's cheerful giggle was nearby, and the Ram was surprised that she had completely missed the sound of her harp stalling. "You cooked, so it was only fair that I clean up!"

The cheerful spirit was helping her organize and put away before she knew it, and after opening her mouth, the Ram closed it, choosing to smile gently instead. There were some days she knew she could convince her roommate to leave her be and let her do it all on her own, but after their brief, uncomfortable conversation in the morning, she didn't want to upset Lyra. If she wanted to help, Aries wouldn't protest.

And while they put the groceries away, Lyra didn't once bring up the conversation topic that had mildly startled her shy pink-haired roommate that morning. For this, Aries couldn't be more grateful.

She _did_ like him, the Ram knew. It was a fact of her life, and she had slowly become used to it. It was something that she would never be able to deny and probably something she wouldn't get over.

It _had_ been about four hundred years, after all.

But she had to put that out of her mind for now, and put the groceries away. Lyra was chatting idly about the song she'd been in the middle of practicing when Aries had returned, and the pink-haired wool spirit started to pay more and more attention as her voice rose in excitement.

"It's the fifth song I wrote after Scorpio told us about his surprise party, and it's got this section in the middle that's just _heavenly_. Will you listen to it a little later and tell me what you think? I know I need to do _something_ to make everything else fit with that section, but I'm not entirely sure what."

Her hopeful tone wasn't something the shy spirit could refuse, so Aries responded almost immediately with, "Of course I'll listen to it! Your songs are always beautiful. I'm just sorry I won't be much help, musically."

"You're plenty of help!" the Lyre dismissed her worries easily, as she had many times. She truly did seem to enjoy Aries's input when she gave it, so the Ram decided to just let it slide this time, though she'd undoubtedly end up apologizing again later for not being much help in fixing Lyra's troubles.

Aries let her mind drift to the song that Lyra had played last night to make her fall asleep again, even though her heart and mind were in a rare state of turbulence. It had been so soothing and calming, and she wondered how long Lyra had known it, or if it had just come to her. She could read humans almost instantaneously and play a song that would pull their heartstrings, but it was often something she had composed long before. Was it the same for spirits, or did she just instinctively _know_?

"Ooooh!" Lyra's excited cry startled Aries out of her brief reverie, and she turned to see the younger-looking spirit practically drooling over the strawberries she had brought back. "You got so many this time! I know some are for the cake…but can we have some now? _Please_?"

With a giggle, the pink-haired woman nodded. "Of course! I bought extra, remember?"

Excitedly, as Aries continued to store her market purchases, Lyra found a bowl and started to wash the strawberries, putting the clean ones into the bowl. She also retrieved the sugar out of the cabinet—or one of the bags. They both had a scary tendency to love sweets, so they always had sugar on hand. Aries produced a paring knife so that she could slice some strawberries later, and finished putting everything away shortly after her roommate had retreated to the table with their snack.

"Just don't spoil your lunch," Aries warned in a motherly tone, then flushed and quickly amended, "or, well, you're old enough to know what you want. Sorry for telling you what to do or what not to do…"

"Don't worry, I won't spoil lunch!" Lyra waved the pink-haired girl's worries off with her wide smile. "We're going out today, my treat!"

"I couldn't—"

"You deserve it, Ari!" was the chipper response to the Ram's attempted refusal. What struck her as unable to respond, however, was not Lyra's insistence, but the nickname that she had hardly heard over the years, but since her dream just hours ago, she'd heard it _twice_.

Putting it to the back of her mind, Aries returned her attention to the table, listening to the musical spirit talk about the restaurant she was going to take Aries to, and how good it was, and how long it had been since the two had gone.

The rest of their day, though long, was uneventful. Aries fell asleep almost as soon as she fell into her bed, despite the persistent memories of the previous night's dream that had stayed in her mind all day.

* * *

"_Ari!"_

_A voice stirred her from her slumber, slowly but surely. She woke rubbing her eyes tiredly with one hand, peering up at the face above her own. It took her a few moments rife with terror before she realized just who it was, and then she smiled drowsily. Of course it was Loke—who else would it be?—before she started to doze back off again._

"_Wake up!" he insisted, and she slowly started to comply. The earth was rocking beneath her, though, and she remained disoriented and confused about where she was. The dirt floor they had slept on for years shouldn't be moving like this, and he'd be more frantic if there was an earthquake or something…and so she remained oblivious until her companion spoke again._

"_C'mon, Ari, wake up faster! It's _Crocus_!"_

_Crocus…?_

_Her eyes shot completely open and she sat up, and had her orange-headed friend not been sitting straighter she would have cracked their skulls together. Instead, she sat up violently into his chest and knocked the breath out of him. She sat back quickly and started to apologize, but stopped when he started to laugh and just wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Arielle flushed, but followed his insistent gesture to look ahead of the wagon._

_Brown eyes widened in shock and admiration as the capitol city spilled out before them. The Flower Blooming Capitol was radiant and colorful, as in bloom as its pet name implied. In the center, the King's castle, Mercurius, rose high into the sky. It rose so high that Arielle was astonished it didn't disappear into the clouds. And it _gleamed_ in the sunlight that streamed down upon the city, almost as though it was made of glass, or crystal…which, she amended, it could be. It _was_ the capitol, after all. _

_The streets, from what she had heard, would all be lined with trees or flowers, and though she couldn't see it from this distance, she believed every word of it. The colors that burst from the city gave her no doubt that it was absolutely blooming, and she couldn't _wait_ to find a house among such bright, cheerful, colorful streets. Perhaps they'd have to live on the slightly less bright outskirts at first, but she was determined that, within a few years, they could find their way further into the city._

_Somewhere near the edge of the expansive city, on the opposite side from their wagon, stood a tall earthen pillar, and even at this distance the pink-haired girl could see the stairs circling up it. The stairs led to the stadium at the top that, she realized, must be where the Dragon King Tournament had been held for hundreds of years. Just the thought of such a tournament both thrilled and terrified her in equal measure._

"_What do you think?" Loke finally spoke again, admiration shining in his eyes as he waited for her to give him her opinion._

"_It's…" her own admiration of the capitol city made her breathless, but what had been promised—acceptance for him and his magic—was almost enough to move her to tears. Just looking at this city was enough to make her believe in the rumors, because Crocus itself was magical. "It's _gorgeous_!"_

_His smile spread across his face, and Arielle was certain that his joy outshined the sun._

"_We're almost there, Ari," he pulled her tighter against his side as they watched the distance, sprawling city draw nearer. And then, in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper, as if he was finally daring to hope for the first time in a long time, he added, "we're almost _home_."_

_And silently, she agreed._

* * *

This time, Aries woke slowly, opening her eyes on the dim light that was the unmistakable harbinger of dawn. Although her heart was beating a frantic rhythm in her chest, she did not cry out or wake her sleeping roommate…not this time. It had taken a lot to calm herself enough to wake peacefully, and she would not ruin that now. Instead, she gently got to her feet and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. There was a long day ahead of her, which included baking the cake for Scorpio's party and actually, heavens save her, _attending_ the party.

And then, there was the undeniable fact that she'd come face-to-face with _Loke_.

She felt the heat rise to her neck and cheeks when she thought about their proximity in her dream—or about the proximity of the girl who looked much like her and the boy who couldn't be anything _but_ her subconscious' recreation of him.

But it would not do to dwell on this now. Day was rapidly dawning all around her, and she had to be ready for it when it arrived. So she washed her face and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, because Lyra would be waking soon and Aries wanted her food to be sitting on the table while she started the strawberry cake.

And, sure enough, not thirty minutes later, as Aries was just putting the finished meal on the kitchen table, she heard shuffling from the bedroom. She smiled softly to herself at the sure sign of her roommate's awakening, and put the kettle on so the tea would be ready as soon as the cheerful girl was done dressing and washing up some. Aries was saving her shower for after the baking, because their stove put off a lot of heat and she didn't want to arrive sweaty to Scorpio's surprise party for Aquarius.

A few minutes later, a slightly drowsy looking Lyra poked her head around the door and sniffed.

"Aries, you fixed breakfast yesterday. I thought it was my turn!"

"Sorry!" she apologized, looking at the meal. "If it's not what you wanted, I'm really, really sorry. I was just up early, and decided to go ahead and fix it…"

"No, I love what you've fixed! I just feel bad that you're almost always the one that cooks breakfast!" the Lyre sighed, but as was her nature, her cheerful smile was soon back on her features. "You've got to at least let me fix breakfast once or twice this week!"

Aries conceded easily, though she didn't _promise_. As long as she didn't promise, she could still cook breakfast if she woke first with a clear conscience.

* * *

The cake was baked and ready after two hours, and Aries and Lyra were preparing to head out. The party was in forty-five minutes, and Scorpio wanted all the food there at least fifteen minutes prior to the official beginning, when he brought Aquarius in.

It was absolutely imperative for him to bring her in personally, because if he just gave her the time and place, she'd show up early and ruin the surprise. The two were clingy and close like that, and she'd never be able to keep herself away if she knew where he was supposed to be. It was admirable, how very much in love they were, despite how…uncouth…they both seemed in addressing others.

When she allowed herself to acknowledge the truth, Aries found it impossible to _not_ be jealous.

"Found it!" cried Lyra from the other room, and Aries looked up from delicately placing the lid on the cake to see that she had found her missing earring. The Ram smiled softly and made sure the lid was firmly secured as her humming companion started to secure the night's entertainment—one of her prized harps—in its padded carrying case. "I'll be just a few more minutes, Aries! Sorry for taking so long!"

"No, please, take your time!" was the soft reply issued from the pink-haired spirit. "I—"

Whatever she was going to say disappeared in the three sharp raps on their door, and with a confused glance shared between the two tenants, Aries turned toward it. In a few short strides, she was twisting the nob…and then regretting that she hadn't insisted on renting the apartment with a peephole.

Leo ran a hand through his unruly, fiery locks before realizing she'd opened the door, and then he turned a blindingly bright smile in her direction.

"Aries! Lyra! I was passing by on my way _there,_" he emphasized the word so that they'd understand it was the surprise party, even though it was obvious, "and saw your living room light on still, so I thought I'd stop by and walk with you. Are you almost ready?"

"S-sorry, I think Lyra n-needs a minute," the wool spirit regretted that her stutter came back with a vengeance, and that it was always at its worst in his presence. It was almost as if she had some past deed to atone for, the way she stuttered around him and almost no one else…though, of course, that notion was simply foolish. So, in a vain attempt to compose herself and make up for the silence that seemed to stretch for just a few seconds too long, she explained, "She's putting her harp in a c-case."

As if in affirmation, the cheerful girl's voice chimed, "It'll be just a moment!" from the other room. And for that moment, Aries realized with a shock, she would be standing here, alone, with the one person she had trouble communicating with.

"Would you like to come in for a minute?" Aries offered softly, unsure whether it was the appropriate offer or not.

"Nah, she'll be done in a sec anyway," he said with a grin, leaning casually against the doorframe in a way that made her heartbeat speed up. His sunglasses were laying low on his nose, and he was peering over them with his unreadable hazel eyes.

For her own sanity, Aries turned away from his dashing appearance—when was he ever otherwise?—with the pretense of picking up the cake. It would save her heart just a few moments of work, and she would also be doing something that was actually required of her. The cake wouldn't get itself to their destination, after all, and she couldn't just stand awkwardly by the door, staring at the leader of the zodiac. It would be…awkward, to say the least.

"Got it!" was the exclamation made in Lyra's triumphant voice. It was the same tone she had used when she'd located her missing earring. She came into the dining area carrying the case, and Aries picked up the cake promptly.

"Then w-we should get moving," Aries said gently, trying to focus more on Lyra and the cake than on the other spirit, even though she realized it was rude to blatantly ignore him. And she wouldn't ignore him, but she found it so hard to talk to him, especially on the tail end of _another_ dream about the two of them—or at least their look-alikes.

"Let's go, then," the Lion grinned, and somehow he managed to link arms with both girls. As he started to lead the way, Aries felt the flush rise to his cheeks.

He just _had_ to show up to a party with a girl on both arms, didn't he?

* * *

**So…I wasn't sure what to do for the last part, so I decided that emphasis on her nerves around him would be a good thing to bring in. So I apologize if the story still seems to be moving too slowly, but it will eventually pick up. I'm trying to establish the basis still. Please bear with me, and thank you for reading!**


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